Reviews by The Cinephile

Quantum Of Solace has some of the best gameplay in a Bond game since Goldeneye back on the N64, or Nightfire for that matter. It is almost flawless, and really gets you into it. I enjoy the new cover system actually, but didn't really think I would initially. It turns out that it actually is very fun to use, and comes in handy a lot. Not to mention it is rather easy to get a hang of.

The cinematic experience this game brings is nothing short of excellent. I personally haven't seen the film yet, but I sort of get a feel for what it's like. It's very well put together. The missions are pretty short I will admit, but it gets addicting after awhile, and certain achievements are reachable by completing specific levels. Look for a bit of a "CoD 4" type gameplay mixed in as well. The shooting is similar, along with the sprinting. Just thought I'd add that.

Quantum Of Solace is a great game that will be sure to have you in front of the screen for a long time. I highly recommend it to any first person shooter fan, or for that matter, any gamer.

8.5/10

The Hills Have Eyes is great horror fun. From the creepy looking crazies, to the excellently filmed locations, this is a true horror fest.

The film starts off rather normal, with a family on a road trip asking a gas station owner for help and directions. You can tell right away that the guy has problems, and isn't completely sane. Of course he gives them wrong directions, leading them into a desert of flesh eating psychotic people. They were actually pulled off very well, and really gave off a creepy vibe. What starts off as a normal "run of the mill" horror flick, turns into a unique, sometimes depressing, entertaining as ever horror extravaganza, when they reveal themselves and begin killing the family members one by one.

This movie puts off one of the creepiest vibes I have ever seen. It will probably creep you out, and maybe even disgust you. But trust me, it's all for the best. The Hills Have Eyes is a memorable movie, that I recommend to all horror lovers.

8.5/10

As good as it gets revolves around a lonely guy named Melvin Udall (Nicholson) into his late fifties or so. He dislikes a lot of things, and is beginning to lose his mind. He lives in an apartment by himself, with a very unfortunate condition "OCD" (obsessive compulsive disorder). I could relate to Nicholson's character from the get go, because I have that condition myself. Anyway, Melvin is asked to watch one of his neighbor's little dogs for awhile. The neighbor is played by Greg Kinnear, who does excellent. He hates the dog at first, then becomes best friends with it. His neighbor becomes great friends with him as well, and they end up bonding throughout. Helen Hunt co-stars, and doesn't disappoint. Melvin is saved by those people, in the way of supporting him, and he realizes that he does have a reason to live. The movie really moved me.

The story expands into greatness, with a lot of bonding, and nearly flawless character development. I have only seen Nicholson so good in a few other films. This is easily one of his best, and I couldn't recommend it more.

9.3/10

Sims: Bustin' Out for the original Xbox, is one of just a few for that console, and probably the best. I have not yet played "Sims 2", but hope to soon.

The gameplay is much more advanced than the previous, and the experience is just overall more enjoyable. The "Get A Life" mode is great, and starts you off in your mom's house with goals to complete, for example "borrow 800 dollars from your mom, or "cook dinner without burning the house down". It can be frustrating, but it really is fun. There is a new addition as well: you want to play with a friend? no problem. just have your buddy press start on a different controller and your all set, it's great.

if your not quite into objective based game modes, you got good old free mode, which is always great. Bustin Out is an excellent game, and you will definitely get a kick out out of it.

If you go into this film expecting it to stack up to the original, you will be very disappointed. Hostel: Part II was made for fun if you ask me. I am not saying it didn't have loads of hard work put into it, but this wasn't a film to be taken seriously in the first place. I think the original had a little more thought put into it, and that is why the story was more developed and more entertaining to watch.

The stories are very different in each film, with the original having three young men, all being good friends on a trip of their lifetime, and Part II having a few college girls, not really looking for much fun, but more or less study time. They get caught up in the "too good to be true" luxuries that the hostel advertises, which was very well put together may I add.

Hostel: Part II won't wow audiences, but if your a big Hostel fan like myself, than you will surely highly enjoy this flick. Very entertaining horror movie, and another good one from Roth and Tarantino. Loads of fun!

8.4/10

Pixar seems to never fail, and Ratatouille is no exception. I have only just seen this film, after hearing about it about a year ago, and had very high expectations coming in. they were dead on.

Remy (Patton Oswalt) is a rat that loves food and cooking. He studies the famous cooks, and knows tons about certain dishes. He is also a great cook. There's only one problem: he has no way of expressing his talent.

One day, Remy stumbles upon one of the most famous restaurants in Paris, while traveling down water pipes. He is awfully excited to see it, but has no way of getting in, considering he is a rat. Coincidentally, he befriends the garbage boy who works at the restaurant. The garbage boy gets help from Remy in cooking some of the food, and eventually becomes loved by the guests, and the employees. The way Remy is hidden, is in the garbage boy's hat. All goes wrong when The head chef finds out about his secret, and begins investigating. Remy gets his rat family to assist in the restaurant. I found that specific scene hysterical. Just imagine twenty or more rats controlling a kitchen, and baking food for guests. Silly, but fun. The garbage boy turns out to be the recently deceased owner's son, so the restaurant is turned over to him. I thought the story was great. It had me laughing more than some other Pixar films, which isn't easy to do. I didn't notice any flaws, or cons that could take away from the greatness of this movie.

Ratatouille is one of the best Pixar films, or for that matter animated films I have ever seen. It could be compared to something like Finding Nemo, and that is difficult to top. This flick comes highly recommended. You will enjoy watching it with your family, or even friends. Great feature.

9.5/10

First of all, don't listen to all the negative reviews on this film, because they will lead you in the wrong direction. This film is full of constant laughs, and a pretty entertaining story. Critics often target the negative aspects.

The plot is really very basic, with a few middle aged friends embarking on a cross country motorcycle trip. They need to get away, due to the family stress, and their wives nagging them. This movie stars some great actors: John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy, Ray Liotta, and a few others. They weren't in their complete prime, but they still performed very well, and really impressed me.

Wild Hogs is a highly underrated, very good comedy, that I highly recommend to most viewers, with the exception of people that criticize a film that tries to have fun. Enjoy the movie for what it is. This movie is worth the watch, and is loads of fun.

8.0/10

My thoughts on this film are rather negative, considering I was expecting a lot more action, and a hell of a lot more suspense.

A family of four gets stranded in the jungle, with lions stalking them from every direction. Yes, the plot is that simple, which is why I am amazed that they couldn't even pull it off. It was intriguing for the first couple of minutes when they were getting attacked, but after that it went completely downhill. over the top cliche's, bad acting, and just an overall pretty boring film.

From the looks of the cover, and the trailers, you would have thought this would be a suspense film to be remembered for awhile. Well, at least that's what I was hoping for. The outcome is one of the worst films made in 2007. Avoid at all costs.

3.1/10

It took me awhile to finally see this film, even though I first heard of it a couple years ago. I really thought nothing of it at the time. Being a pretty big fan of Woody Harrelson's body of work wasn't really a big factor for my interest in this movie. The main factor was how the plot looked: unique, great, and fun to watch.

I would be lying to you If I said this wasn't one of the weirdest films I had ever seen. It has a great element to it, just very twisted and odd. It was filmed like a sitcom or a music video.

After a little while I was actually considering stopping the movie, than gave it another 15-20 minutes to sink in, and it did. To tell you the truth, I did feel wrong watching it at times. With all the odd yet disgusting ways they killed people, while at the same time showing little to no emotion. After awhile I got used to that though, and really started to like it.

"Natural Born Killers" packs enough violence, humor, and entertainment to keep you interested for the full hour and a half plus of duration time. Not to mention, the story was excellent, along with the characters.

Watch this film at your own risk, but overall, I highly recommend it. Viewer discretion is definitely advised.

8.2/10

"Taken" is a hard hitting, action packed thrill ride, that will be sure to have you wanting more.

Bryan Mills (Neeson) is forced to rely on former skills as an agent when his daughter is kidnapped in Paris by a group of foreign criminals. This film is alike certain films, but more like the Bourne series. I noticed a lot of similarities along the way. The fighting styles, fast paced camera movement, chases, and just the overall look of the characters. If your looking for in depth/Oscar winning picture, you won't find it here. This is most definitely for the thrills and entertainment. That's not going to say it has no story, because it certainly does.

There wasn't anything visibly wrong with this film. It did what it set out to do: entertain people with non stop action. It kept me entertained for the duration, and I was impressed.

If I come across another action film this year, that even comes close to this, I will be surprised. This is easily one of the best action movies of the decade.

9.5/10